Cat got a hold of baby rabbit! Need help!

[denim deb]

Sorry to hear about the bunny. Wild life rehabbers won't take them around here, either. While I've never had an injured one, I have had people bring me babies (even w/their eyes closed.) I have about a 50/50 ratio on saving them. Once they get big enough, I release them. I've thought about becoming a rehabber myself, but don't know if I really have the time.

 

[Urbanfarmerkc]

It may be a wives tale but I've actually witnessed it myself. Cats and dogs have something in their saliva that kills prey pretty quick. I had a finch we raised by hand it flew off one day and landed on the floor my dog was startled and picked it up in his mouth. It didn't even seem to scratch it and he definitely didn't bite down enough to crush anything. The bird died within 30 minutes.

As far as the bunny. I appreciate wanting to preserve nature but one less bunny on the earth isn't necessarily a bad thing...

Dave

 

[Akane]

Baby cottontails are very hard to keep alive. If you don't have experience and the rabbit is badly injured or too young to eat solid food it's pretty much a death sentence. They are extremely difficult to hand feed or treat for injuries and will die from very mild wounds. They can also die from the stress of even gentle handling.

Dogs have cleaner mouths than humans but cats have some of the dirtiest mouths. Bite wounds from cats are very serious and have put many people in the hospital even when it didn't look that bad. Always take extra care if you get a puncture wound from a cat.

 

[SilverPhoenix]

Don't blame yourself at all for the bunny's death--they are fragile and difficult even for experienced rehabbers, and many do not make it. It was good of you to try, though!

And it is absolutely not a myth that cats have bacteria in their mouths and claws that kills wildlife. Any animal that comes into my wildlife group and has been in contact with a cat or that we suspect may have come in contact with a cat gets put on antibiotics immediately. If they're not administered within the first 24-48 hours after the injury occurred, they almost always die within four days of the injury. "Cat scratch fever." I've watched the death process on many animals that didn't get the antibiotics in time.

 

[pascopol]

Quote:
Very good advice, I second that, if you leave your rabit cage outside it is YOUR responsibility to protect it from predators including dogs and cats, instead of whining and blaming a cat for doing it's job.

 

[FireTigeris]

Rabbits can die from food withdraw- that is bad advice- bunnies eat up to minutes before surgery- if its hungry let it eat rabbit food.

Rabbit digestion works by the bacteria in their gut- they are coprophagous because they are not large enough to have chambered stomachs like a cow.

If the bacteria die/starve so does the rabbit.

 

[Akane]

These last 2 posts make no sense to me. I believe this was a wild rabbit and while we don't know exact age it is a baby. Before they are ready to eat solid food baby rabbits only get fed twice a day. So what was the point of talking about outdoor rabbits and the problems rabbits have going without food?

 

[IcarusSomnio]

Quote:
Very good advice, I second that, if you leave your rabit cage outside it is YOUR responsibility to protect it from predators including dogs and cats, instead of whining and blaming a cat for doing it's job.

It was a wild rabbit, not a domestic.


Baby rabbits are extremely hard to foster without a nurse doe. I had an abandoned litter I did nothing but fight to keep alive. Eventually I put the two remaining down, as they where fast on the way out. Dehydration is a big factor, especially with young kits.

 

[chixdlux]

One of our outside (about to be dead!) cats got a hold of a baby rabbit this afternoon. My husband chased the cat off when he saw what was in her mouth. When we saw her, her whole back layer of fur was gone, almost like she was skinned. She's still breathing and jumping around but we took her in to clean it up.

We cleaned it up with water, she was screaming the whole time we washed her. Then we put triple antibiotic on her and wrapped her up in gauze. My daughter has an extra rabbit cage, luckily. So we're keeping the bunny in there with a towel.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what else we can do to keep it alive?

. If it can walk/ hop release it ASAP. Rabbits have weak hearts and can suffer heart attacks easily. It's better to hope it makes. It to mama and heals. I know this is years old...